Yima
(Pronunciation: yee mah / yee moe jah lee) = ''' '''Verdant and ageless, subject to worldwide acclaim for its ingenious harmonization of nature and technology, the country of Yima is a haven for the passionate environmental scientists and creative robotics engineers. = '''''' '''Religion and Events''' = Yima is locally recognized as the birthplace of the benevolent sea demigoddess from which it derived its name, Yimaja, and its culture is heavily centered around her worship. According the Legend of the Titan Flood, the Sea Goddess Yimaja witnessed a tribe of humans fleeing to the heart of a great forest from hungry shadows and flooded the rivers to wash away the invaders. She kept the people safe by raising them atop giant waves that set them high in the trees, fed them fruit from her Sky Tree, and when the waters receded she gave them weapons to keep the intruders at bay. = = Thus, public festivals and celebrations dedicated to Yimaja are a popular feature of most cities, but the largest events are hosted exclusively in the capital, Obatala. Naturally the most highly regarded events is the commemoration of the Titan Flood. During the final day of Matisse, people in Obatala gather to decorate boats in elaborate designs resembling the famous giant waves and sail to the center of Yala Lake to watch as an illusion cast by the Queen (and her pair) falls over the city. It is said to be a very beautiful event and, afterward, shards of crystals can be found and collected all throughout the city. = '''Technology''' = In 6186 Queen Furiah Tellis and Yima’s Synod created the Obscurity Concordat, an infrangible agreement that would set the course for the country’s evolution. The Obscurity Concordat dictated the primary objective for all future government scientific research would be focused development of technologies designed to deter and eradicate shadows. Thus, development and advancement of technology became essential to the Yimojali economy, particularly in the research fields of spark biology and robotics. To both the benefit and detriment of Yima, the shadow population throughout the country has been near nonexistent since the early 1760s, and so, in exchange for live test subjects, scientists and engineers routinely collaborate with foreign countries to improve the efficiency of spark gadgets worldwide. = = In the 7040s an oversaturation in shadow and spark research sectors began to encourage young scientists to focus on less militant subjects. This led to the development of domestic artificially intelligent lifeforms, human biological enhancements, and infrastructure improvements. With the advent of domestic AI technology, it is now common for even most low-class households to acquire AI servants — albeit older, less optimized models. On the whole, even archaic models are considerably advanced by global standards. All possess the ability to near perfectly imitate human speech patterns and microexpressions and simulate emotion at varying degrees. = '''Photosynthetics''' = Strides in human biological research contributed greatly to the discovery of a unique gene in native Yemojali biology capable of — when introduced to special cyanobacteria called hellids — replicating the effects of photosynthesis. In 7580 Yima’s government released a pharmaceutical line of capsules containing hellids to agencies and academies employing sparks. Since then, it is extremely common for potentials and guardians alike to demonstrate the ability to swim uninterrupted for hours on end (the longest recorded is 4.5 hours), heal faster in direct sunlight or underneath solar simulators, and require less food for survival. Unfortunately, there are several major sides effect involved with hellid-induced photosynthesis. They include; = = '''Large Pores:''' Genetic alterations cause the elasticity around pores to weaken, widening them. = = '''Degeneration:''' Rapid muscle atrophy and protein loss in response to prolonged UV light deprivation. = = '''Mutated Pigmentation:''' Temporary (while photosynthesizing) or even permanent color changes in their skin. = = In extremely rare cases, gene mutations can occur in those who consume hellids which lead to lifelong dependency on daily hellid intake. = '''The Sacred Wild Lands''' = Only fourteen cities exist throughout the vast territory of Yima. The surrounding rainforests are protected conservation land and receive heavy digital surveillance by taskforces dedicated to preserving the native wildlife. In fact, on April 21, 6338 Queen Chikelu Kwame enacted a treaty banning civilian passage through the forest area and implemented the construction of hyper-rail trains creating a direct line from the Kiangali mainland to Yima’s cities. The conservation itself is home to roughly 35,000 different species of plants, 2,200 native animal species, and it is the subject of constant study for foreign biologists (who must spend a minimum of one year as a resident before qualifying to apply for research rights). It is a local belief that anyone who enters the forests without the Queen’s seal will be imprisoned by the forests and transformed into beasts. = '''Fashion''' = The style of dress in Yima is considerably varied, leaning towards the geometric and symmetrical aesthetic. Natives of the country tend to wear their clothing in cool palette tones of blues, violets, greys, and browns. Women traditionally wear their hair down in long natural styles or braided up into tall buns. Men traditionally wear short twists pulled back in low buns or ponytails, though in recent years it has become acceptable for men to wear their hair down much like the women of the society. On the whole, there are a wide variety of fashion styles to be encountered in Yima, particularly among those who consume hellids — partially transparent fabrics and reflective jewelry are commonplace. =